Van der Graaf Generator - Over the Hill (chords)


Chord transcription by Mikayel Abazyan mikayelabazyan@yahoo.com


Playing tips

Am+	a-c-f
Am6	a-c-f#
Bb(-1)	ab-d-f
G7(no 3rd)	g-x-d-f


Intro:
{  a#  b  a#  d  a  g#     b  a#  a  d  g#        e+g# - f+g+b  }  x2

a#  b  a#       e  c  b  a#    e  c  b  a#    e  c  b  a#    


Am                   Am+
  Let's recount our history,

Am6                     Am5
  our tale of boom and bust.

Am                 G
  We could talk a good fight on our day

             F                             Esus4   E
but when we got a hand to play we bit the dust.

Am                                G
  Now in our threadbare suits we do our duty,

       F                        E      Am
still sold on the pursuit of a common cause.


Am                    Am+      Am6                    Am5
  Now let us call to memory       such witness as we dare.

Am                       G
  We built our bridges, burned them down as well,

      F                                 Esus4    E
maybe all we have to tell is off the square.

Am                      G       F                        E
  We tried our instant remedies - they didn't clear the air.

Am                      G
  Who could foresee how it was bound to end,

       F
in a break or in a bend?

      Bb
We intended well enough....

              C               Gm
Oh, but the clock was always counting, 

C                   Gm
  the envelope was sealed 

C                        Gm
  and as the pressure's mounting

                A            Bb
still precious little is revealed.



Organ bridge:
a#  b  a#  d  a  g#     b  a#  a  d  g#        e+g# - f+g+b

a#  b  a#          b  a#  a  d  

Am                        Am+         Am6                    Am5
  Still, let us speak of comradeship,     of how we stood as one,

Am                        G
  shoulder to shoulder through the thick and thin

            F
while the roof was caving in;

         Bb                          Bb(-1)
although everything begins in good faith,

                           G7(no 3rd)
for all our sins we'll all end up being skinned

                C                  Gm     C                          Gm
and now there's   nowhere left to run to,   there's nowhere left to hide,

C                              Gm              A              Bb
  we're strapped in and we're gunning for the roller-coaster ride.


Organ bridge:
{  a#  b  a#  d  a  g#     b  a#  a  d  g#        e+g# - f+g+b  }  x2

a#  b  a#       e  c  b  a#    e  c  b  a#    e  c  b  a#    

Piano bridge:
{  a#  b  a#  d  a  g#     b  a#  a  d  g#  }  x2

Organ and Piano bridge:
a#  b  a#       e  c  b  a#    e  c  b  a#    e  c  b    

Same but speeding up:
{a#  b  a#  d  a  g#     b  a#  a  d  g# }   x4

a#  b  a#       e  c  b  a#    e  c  b  a#    e  c  b  a#    

Refer to the studio recording to get the idea how this bridge progresses until another bridge-jump-link-whatever-you-can-call-it:

{  e c b a# b     e+g# - f+g+b  }  x3   adding one more f+g+b  at the end of the 3rd pass

e+g# - f+g+b - e+g#        e+g# - f+g+b

e+g# - f+g+b - e+g#       { e+g# - f+g+b } x3


OVER THE HILL theme:
{G   G-1(g-f)   G7(=F)  G7 }  x2

G   G-1(g-f)   G7(=F)     { F  F(f(2)-g)  F }   x3


          G          G-1(g-f)            C              D7
If we're living our lives      as though God's at our shoulders,

          G             G-1(g-f)        C         D7
if we're giving of our best,      by an effort of will,

              G           G-1(g-f)
then we'll be up for the test,

              C             D7        E            G#m
we'll never know when we're over the hill.


DECISION theme:
 G#m  Bbm             B     (alternative:   1st pass . G#m   F#   G#m   F#; 2nd pass . G#m   F#   G#m   E )
Here comes then bit where we decide no passengers come on this ride -

 G#m  F#             E             F#          G#m
Ci - vilians, the broken-hearted, need not apply.

G#m  Bbm          B     (alternative:   1st pass . G#m   F#   G#m   F#; 2nd pass . G#m   F#   G#m   E )
I   count to a thousand and ten,

G#m  Bbm          B     (alternative:   1st pass . G#m   F#   G#m   F#; 2nd pass . G#m   F#   G#m   E )
I   keep my eyes tight shut and then

G#m    Bbm      B     (alternative:   1st pass . G#m   F#   G#m   F#; 2nd pass . G#m   F#   G#m   E )
Un - steadily count the numbers back down again.

G#m  Bbm   B   (alternative:   1st pass . G#m   F#   G#m   F#; 2nd pass . G#m   F#   G#m   E )

D     { F  F(f(2)-g)  F }   x3


Back to OVER THE HILL theme:
        G
Head on into the wind, on a heavenly mission,
try to play with the spin while we burn in our hearts;
although we know we'll never win we're still learning our lessons in the dark.


DARK riff: (played starting from .dark., repeated many times, with different rhythmic ornaments)
g# d      d  g# a g# d      d  g# a g# d      d  g# a g# a b  f# 

g# d      d  g# a g# d      d  g# a g# d      d  g# a g# a b  f# e  f# 


Full band bridge:

{  e+g# - f+g+b - e+g#  }  x3


Back to OVER THE HILL theme:

             G             G-1(g-f)        C        D7
There's no choice here to make, there's no easier decision

          G                G-1(g-f)     C           D7
than to stand up, stand straight and to give it a try

                G            G-1(g-f)       C             D7                 C   D
and there's no time for hesitation as the stations of our lives are passing by.

      G             G-1(g-f)  C          D7
Heads up and face front as   brother to brother,

         G           G-1(g-f)      C             D7
time to come to the call if we're true to how we were

            G             G-1(g-f)   C         D7         E
because at last and after all we've given each other our words.

       A (same harmonic approach should be used forward)
If we live out our lives as though God's sat at our shoulders,

       A
if we give of our best and then give some more still,

      A
press on, with no pause for breath,

                                    G#
then we'll see each other over the hill.

MODULATION BRIDGE:
G#  (use the same harmonic approach mentioned above)

G#  

G#  D#

Bb  A

Dm  Dm/c  Dm/b   Dm/a

Dm  Dm/c  Dm/b   Dm/a

Dm  Dm/c  Dm/b   Dm/a

C   C-B  B-A   A#-G#  F-C#   G


Am                    Am+       Am6                           Am5
  Now if we speak of distances      we're only covering old ground:

Am                        G                             F
  what's done is done and if we have become of worth at all

                                 Esus4   E 
we'll hope to see things in the round.

Am                         G        F                       E
  Let's close the book on history     and keep it safe and sound.

Am                         G
  While we've been moving forward to our goals

         F
we have done as we have told,

         Bb
so the story's closed behind us

         C                  Gm
and the countdown comes in backwards,

C                        Gm
  that much was always clear,

C                     Gm       A           Bb
  so when it reaches zero our heroes disappear. 




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Sergey Petrushanko hammillru@mail.ru, 1998-2024